So I am in my mid 40s and not concerned about sterility, but want to protect my general health. I have been prescribed 200mg of cypionate every other week for several years. I decided on my own to increase my dose to 400mg every week for about 12 weeks. Currently I have taken a 3 week break and was thinking about starting PCT. However I wasn't sure if this was necessary if I am going to stay on TRT probably for quite some time. What is everone's recommendations?
What is your goal? Are you supposed to be taking TRT but you decided to blast T instead? Are you bodybuilding? What is your rationale for cycling on and off of T within such a short time frame?
Do I just go back to 200mg every other week for a few weeks?
You should take it once per week, not once every 2 weeks. So you would either take 100mg/wk or 200mg/wk, I can't advise your dose because you'd need blood work to know which level is best for you to be at TRT levels. Generally 125-175mg per week is TRT level.
Can I stay on the 400mgs per week, if so how long?
8-12 weeks is the "safest" term for blasting T. If you have no side effects, like high hematocrit, high blood pressure, left ventricular issues, estrogen problems, etc... then it can be extended from 12-16 weeks. If you have side effects, then no. Beyond 12-16 weeks is not advisable.
You must do blood work during a blast in order to monitor these things, to ensure your safety. You do not want hematocrit without knowing.
Do I need to do PCT and how long before I can start 200mg every other week or 400mg per week?
The testes usually completely shutdown within 3-4 weeks, so by 12 weeks they will be offline. However, this is considered short term or "recent" suppression, which means if you stop taking exogenous T, you will likely start endogenous production again within 30 days, back to normal levels. It's when you are on T long-term (1+ years) that PCT is generally needed. You will likely not feel great for those 30 days. You could do PCT to try and speed up the process, but response time of the testes is very individual.
Re: going down to 200mg, you can do that immediately. You don't do 400mg, then PCT, then start again at 200mg. You just lower your dose to 200mg.
Re: sterility, men who want to have a child usually use HMG/HCG while on T in order to produce enough sperm, or they simply stop T for a while. It takes a long time on T to have gonadal atrophy and lose a lot of reproductive capacity... but again, it really depends on the man. Just a side note... taking T is not a reliable form of birth control. Men do cause pregnancies even while on T.
Your idea of taking a 3 week break makes no sense considering you plan to go back on 200mg. You might as well just stay on T and reduce your dose to 200mg, rather than put your hormone levels through whiplash by stopping and re-starting.
Just that you need to do a lot more reading and research on how to take T properly and safely, even if you want to blast. Your knowledge gaps are apparent.
